The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-07-06


Referring to the present magnitude OF
the liquor traffic IN the United states, be
said; So j3sy @s.Nt
The traffic claims to have, In the United
States, 81 100000, 900 invested i'll the bust.
neas Of making and sailing li9uo!e. There
are at least SOC. 600 direct employees. It is
estimated npen the heat sttainabIe author.
i,y that this tyrants revelB coat annually
Wore than SfO0.O0O,000; that 100000, vic
TINS, rendered worse than uselees, are
stspgering along in it's t,iumphal process.
sion to dishonorei graves; and that his
army Of immediate retainera numbors
100000 moro, Estimating that this million
Of makers. venderc and victims, ii engaged
in some legitimate business, could have
earned 81 80 per. day, we have loss in
productive power. OF $3.50 600 900 per an
nun, which, saded to the. S700, 900, 900
wasted for strong drinks, makes total Of
81, 250, 000.C00. Add to this taxation-es.
timated at 100000, 000-for the support Of
jsilR, criminal prose cusions, penitentisries,
almshouses, pauperism, imposed upon the
country by it, and you have 81 sec. 00O. 900
as the annual cost Of his reign. Il How does
this compare with the administration Of
King George, or with the tax on the his
toric ten that q century ago WAS put to
steep in Boston Eatbor ls,..!
Let 1t be borne in mind that this bur
den rests most heavily upon the poor, who
| ARE Fleast able 10 besr it. It Is doubtless
true that a large portion Of it is borne by
the rich and prosperous, bu, II only one
half Of it ialls upon the wage workers Of
the nation, there is an opportunity for an
aDii.povcrty society, with possibilltie1 be-
yond the widest dreams Of Mr.. George
and DR.. McGlynn. Mr.. Powderly, in a
recent speech, said Fin one Pennsylvania
county, in a single year, Sl7,00O,00O was
spent for liquor, aud 1t was estimated that
Sl1,M0.000 Of the amount came from
workingmen." The savings that could
be made through an anti. gsloon anti.poy.
erty society would III ten years buy hall
the farms in the United States, and in fit.
teen years more furnish fund large
enough to purchase every railroad in the
country and pay Tor them moro than their
actual cost. The home and the ballot are
the very corner stones on which our free
Institutions rest. Destroy the one or cor.
rupt the other and free government is a
failure. The liquor saloon aims its deadly
blows at both. Is
WHAT IS THE REMEDY y :.
The answers to this question are more
abundantthsn harmonious. More thought
seems to be given to the plan Of campsisn,
and the kind Of weapons to be employed,
than in using them. Instead Of wrangling
about tho methods to be employed, l
would, as far as practicable, adopt them
all, using such in each locality, as under
existing conditions will prove moat effect.
i've, and always giving the preference to
those most dreaded by the enemy. The
National Republican anti.Ssloon Commit
too HIS voiced the thought would pre-.
sent, more rtersely than can, in these
words: s5 y; "a 4. }.5
| a. The saloon ough! to be put out Of existence;
| icy the people Ok each State aud municipality
q deciding when and how this shall b done; and
i8l ttat until destroyed, the saloon ought TO DO
crippled ny' every restraint and disability which
local public sentiment will enforce. ana made to
reimburse as much as possible OF tho public loss J!
canScs. q u. h%j-lSs'5 }igyf.
1s 1t not true that our long familiarity
with the saloon and its work, has blinded
us to ito enormitiea Suppose we had
never seen or heard Of 1t until 1t suddenly
burHt upon Us in all its destructive wicked.
ness. What indignation and horror would
thrill every breast t y p! :. IL
n Suppose that while the nation elept,
wearied with the care and toll OF daily
life, an enemy had crept In and planted
hia minions on every block, and on every
street Of our cities and villages, and We
had suddenly awakened, on this Fourth
OF July morning, to find him destroying
our people at the rate Of Sc, 900 per an,
mum, filling our iails and poorhouses with
! his victims, taxing us hundreds Of milllont